Overview
This project served as an invaluable experience in taking an industrial product from conception to production. I was part of a small team developing Mosaic's first industrial-targeted product, Array. During the prototyping phase, I was involved in designing, sourcing parts, building, and testing the components. Throughout this process, I went through seven design cycles, progressing from prototype to pilot production.
I collaborated with the contract manufacturer (CM) to develop an assembly line for Array and its subsystems. This included creating standard operating procedures (SOPs), implementing quality checks, designing fixtures, conducting time studies, and developing packaging. Once production commenced, I was responsible for supporting the CM to ensure timely product deliveries. I also played a key role in many retrofits while we continued to develop the product in the field.
This product cycle significantly enhanced my knowledge and skills in various areas, including product management, design for manufacturing, scaling from prototype to production, bill of materials (BOM) management, and overall product management. This experience has been crucial as I progress in my career.
Technical Challenges
- Timelines: Meeting deadlines and customer commitments was difficult. We had to be flexible and adaptive as new issues emerged.
- First-Time Experience: Many team members were going through their first full product cycle. The absence of mentorship early on led to avoidable errors.
- Pilot Run: Designs didn’t initially account for different user personas (e.g., aging users, non-native English speakers), which surfaced during CM manufacturing.
- Unique Product Development: With no existing reference products, we had to rely on engineering intuition and thorough testing.
- Scope Creep: Expanding scope during development increased testing demands and prolonged lead times.
Methodologies & Tools
Designs followed iterative cycles: sketch → CAD → sourcing → testing → redesign. During production, we launched engineering workstreams for documentation alignment and reliability testing to address edge cases.
Tools used: SolidWorks, Excel/VBA, Smartsheets, hand tools
Solutions and Results
Timelines: Learned to use Smartsheet for better project scoping and realistic timeline management.
First-Time Experience: Mentorship in time management accelerated delivery and improved overall quality. Each misstep became a learning milestone.
Pilot Run: Our iterative improvement cycle led to rapid refinements and validated a novel product category. Consistent testing confirmed functionality and alignment with product expectations.
Overall, the team fostered a culture of resilience, constant iteration, and data-driven improvement that resulted in a successful, market-ready product.
Reflection
This experience taught me the importance of flexibility in planning, how to balance speed, cost, and quality, and the value of mentorship. I learned that successful product development requires consideration of manufacturing, maintainability, and repairability—not just innovation.
As I move forward in my career, these insights guide my aspiration to create my own fabrication shop and build meaningful, well-designed products. I’ve also developed leadership and relationship-building skills that I’ll carry with me into future roles.